Former Hibs star reunites with ex-Easter Road captain at SPFL club as transfer landed at second attempt

The Hibs pair have reunited at East End Park | SNS Group 0141 221 3602

James McPake has brought former Hibs teammate David Wotherspoon into his Dunfermline ranks.

The Canadian international has penned a one-year deal at the Scottish Championship club, after time at Inverness and Dundee United last term. Wotherspoon almost signed for the Pars last summer after leaving St Johnstone but terms couldn’t be agreed, with McPake landing him at the second attempt.

Now 34, Wotherspoon started his career at Easter Road and made 155 appearances, featuring alongside McPake who captained Hibs in his time at the club. The latter mentioned Hibs when discussing his latest Dunfermline move to club media: “This is a player who less than two years ago was part of a squad and came on in a World Cup. Before he came in to train with us last summer, he was at the CONCACAF Gold Cup with Canada.

“David has quality and experience. He is an international player, he has played in the Premier League in Scotland, a lot of games for Hibs as a kid right through. Then a lot of games and big games for St Johnstone as well culminating in winning a few trophies as well. He was really loved by St Johnstone for what he has done up there, and rightly so a real hero at that club.

“It is a new chapter for him, he will be desperate to come in and help our young group, that’s what we are asking him to do. He is a quiet leader, not somebody who screams and shouts but at certain points last season and down to injuries, we missed that a wee bit particularly when Kyle Benedictus was out.

“You have got somebody there, not just on the pitch on a match day or in training but when things are not going right that you have somebody who has been round the block. A clever range of passing, he can open defences up, he can score goals and he can set players up.

“We have a lot of good players that make really good forward runs, Matty Todd for example, Ewan Otoo, Michael O’Halloran and Kane Ritchie-Hosler with Kieran Ngwenya coming in the other day as well. Now we have a player in David, if those runs are getting made, nine times out of ten David’s head is up and he will find the pass.

“In the squad now there is competition all over the pitch, we want that but also with injuries and suspensions we are going to need different players, different characters for different games which we know this league throws up. Now looking at the squad we are starting to get there.”